Why Growth and Faith Are Intertwined

Physical growing is something that we all have to do no matter if we desire to. From the very day we were conceived we began growing and we will not stop until our last breath.

Mental growing is a different ball game entirely. This is a type of growth that is only made possible when the mind desires it.

The truth: many people want to grow mentally but they are too lazy to do so.

I’ve encountered so many people who desire to grow, mentally. They have discovered that in order to achieve much in life that growth is necessary. They desire to have better jobs, live in an astute neighborhoods, attend a prestigious institution and drive the most luxurious cars. These are all representatives of a growth that is not physically inclined. Hence why many people desire it from afar and refuse to attain these “wants”.

These very same people who desire said attributes are not willing to do or go through what it takes to attain growth.

When a baby is conceived, the baby instantly begins growing from day one. The baby will grow and begin to inconvenience the vessel in which it is located. If you’ve studied anatomy or have ever carried children, you will know that a baby, when they grow grows to a point in which they will stretch the vessel (the womb) in which is located. The mother will feel uncomfortable. She will be bloated. She will have heartburn. She will have to use the bathroom more than normal. She is uncomfortable and is being stretched beyond her normal desire. All of what she is experiencing is because the baby needs to grow, physically.

Mental growth should be equated with physical growth. Mental growth should take place just as physical growth does, irrespective of what is around it. However, many people today grow physically but are stunted mentally. When a person is stunted mentally, there is no way for mental growth to occur. There is no way to acquire the desires we have for our lives. Our physical growth cannot bring forth a new car or a new home. It is only when we have made up our minds to grow mentally that we will move into our destiny.

Growth requires us to stretch ourselves. It requires us to stretch our faith.

Many people don’t think of growth and faith in the same context but the truth of it is that in order to have growth you must have faith. The faith that you display, the faith that you work with, the faith that you carry is what will allow you to grow in an immeasurable manner.

When we go back to that faithful story in the book of Genesis, chapter 22, where God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, we see a clear depiction of how growth and faith are intertwined. To many of us the request from God would have been a difficult one to fulfill. However, we are told that the next day Abraham set on a journey to do what God requested of him. Begin to imagine for yourself the state of his mind. This is where the growth began to take place. Along this journey Isaac looked at his father to ask him where the sacrifice was because he (Isaac) had seen everything else required for the sacrifice but not the actual sacrifice itself. It can only be faith, a serious kind of faith that Abraham had to reply his son that God would provide. We all know what happened next. Because Abraham was ready to do the will of God, he was ready to sacrifice his son, the chosen son, God blessed him tremendously. He grew!

Abraham was stretched. He was made uncomfortable. He was made to rely on something outside of himself, outside of his physical head. He understood that in order to grow his mental faculty couldn’t be limited. He had faith and therefore he grew.

Growth requires faith. It requires a stretching that is not so pleasant to accept. It requires being pulled into directions that you are not familiar with, zones that you’ve never heard about before.

The desire for man is to prosper, to grow, to be accomplished. However, it is the (wo)man who has to do the work themselves. I cannot mentally grow for you. I cannot think for you. I cannot get up and do the work you are expected to do for you. You have to do it yourself. Have faith in yourself that you can achieve all that has been destined for you. Have faith in yourself to tackle a new project, to take a risk, to move to that new city. It is when you have faith in your capabilities that your mental growth will begin.

Mental growth requires faith.

Do you desire to grow? Do you desire to reach your destiny? The only way that can happen is if you make yourself uncomfortable and believe that you can do it.